News & Events

Jan 19, 2011: Secret Vatican Letter to Irish Bishops Claims Reporting of Sexual Abuse Violates Church Law

In a recently discovered internal Vatican document marked “Strictly Confidential” obtained by the Associated Press, the Vatican flexed its muscles over Irish bishops who adopted a child sexual abuse reporting policy that required making a police report.  The policy in question required church leaders to report all child sexual abuse allegations by Irish priests to Irish law enforcement.   According to a letter from the Vatican’s chief representative in Ireland, dated January 31, 1997,  “the situation of ‘mandatory reporting’ [of sexual abuse] gives rise to…

Jan 11, 2011: International Trafficking of Pedophile Priests

A case filed yesterday (1.10.11)in United States District Court for the District of Minnesota puts the problem of sexually abusive pedophile priests in a global perspective..  The lawsuit, brought by a man who was sexually abused as an 8 year-old boy at his parish in Granite Falls, Minnesota by a priest named Francis Markey is a classic example of the national and international trafficking of pedophile priests.  In 1982, when the 8 year-old was abused, Fr. Markey was known to..

Jan 10, 2011: Child Protection News Blog Combating Child Pornography – ChildProtectionNews.com

A relative newcomer to the world of blogging, Jeff Anderson & Associates has created a new website that focuses on issues relating to combating child pornography.  With the evolution of inexpensive technology that has caused an explosion in the production and availability of child pornography, no child protection effort can be complete without considering the role that child pornography plays. 

Some of the blog postings include articles about the FBI’s efforts to detect and arrest sophisticated child …

Jan 04, 2011: Statement of Jeff Anderson on the Milwaukee Archdiocese filing for bankruptcy

“Today, Archbishop Jerome Listecki said the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to fairly compensate victims/survivors of priest-predators and to allow the archdiocese to continue to meet the needs of parishes and parishioners.

“Incredibly, the Archbishop’s announcement left out the most important reason they filed for bankruptcy:  To delay the legal process so they don’t have to reveal the names of the “priest-predators” and the Church officials who covered up the “priest-predators’” crimes.  It is interesting that this a…

Nov 22, 2010: Keeping Pressure on the Pope

We cannot be fooled.  As we previewed here, the Pope gathered his cardinals last week in Rome, and promised a meaningful discussion regarding clergy childhood sexual abuse.  In reality, as SNAP laments, the meeting of cardinals at the Vatican last week was just as expected, no action, no change, no substance.